Sweet feeds (concentrates that have added molasses) may contain as much as 12% molasses, most are less than 10%. Forages mixed with molasses such as A&M (alfalfa & molasses) and O&M (oat hay & molasses) may be as high as 20% molasses. Is molasses feed good for horses? Molasses helps Read more…
Oats, barley, wheat and maize are the cereal grains most commonly used in horse feeds and contain high levels of starch. What horse feed is low in starch? Low Starch Feeds SafeChoice® Special Care is considered a low-starch feed with a maximum starch level of 13%. To truly provide a Read more…
Trickle Feeding The presence of a high fibre feed such as chaff in the stomach helps to neutralise stomach acid. Chaff will also encourage chewing, prolonging feeding time and the production of increased amounts of acid-buffering saliva. Should I feed my horse chaff? But feeding a chaff is a very Read more…
All horses should have access to shelter and, where they have good shelter, healthy younger horses do not always need to be rugged. Each horse is different though so treat each horse individually, with some being more likely to need extra warmth and protection than others. At what temperature should Read more…
Grains and grain based feeds, molasses and forages like alfalfa/lucerne hay tend to be commonly blamed for making horses ‘hot’. Why does Lucerne make horses hot? Lucerne Hay contains approximately 18% Protein, 28% Fiber and 16g/kg DM (Dry Matter) of Calcium (https://www.feedipedia.org/node/275). It’s also high in Vitamin K and E. Read more…
Some chaff is mixed with molasses or oils to aid palatability. It can also be added to grain rations to add bulk and increase chewing time to slow down horses that bolt their feed. Can you feed a horse chaff on its own? For a complete feed, Dengie Healthy Hooves Read more…
Chaff should be fed at a minimum of 1% and up to 2.5% of body weight daily. Feeding rates will differ according to body weight, condition, metabolism, work intensity and amount of concentrated feed and other roughage fed daily. How much lucerne should I feed my horse? As a rule Read more…
Many older horses require more calories in the form of highly digestible fiber from sources like beet pulp, soy hulls and dehydrated alfalfa meal. In addition, dietary fat helps with weight loss. How much fiber does a senior horse need? A well-formulated senior feed should contain, at the minimum, 12% Read more…
Like all true herbivores, horses get most of their daily energy requirements from eating plant fibers. Yet, ironically, horses can’t digest fiber. In fact, no animal can digest fiber on its own. Can horses break down fiber? Fibre cannot be digested in a horse’s small intestine. Instead, the horse relies Read more…
Grain is the usual choice as it provides 1.5 times more energy per pound than hay; a pound of grain is much smaller than a pound of hay. Diets high in grains can lead to digestive issues — to prevent stomach ulcers and colic, a horse’s ration should be less Read more…